lowRISC has released Sonata v1.0, a stable platform developed under the Sunburst project. Designed for embedded systems engineers, Sonata supports CHERIoT technology, enabling features like compartmentalization and enhanced memory safety. It provides a reliable foundation for building secure embedded systems. CHERIoT is a security-focused technology built on lowRISC’s RISC-V Ibex core, based on CHERI research from the University of Cambridge and SRI International. It addresses memory safety issues like buffer overflows and use-after-free errors using CHERI’s capability-based architecture. The CHERIoT capability format includes permissions for memory access, object types for compartmentalization, and bounds to restrict accessible memory regions. These features enable scalable and efficient compartmentalization, making it suitable for securely running untrusted software in embedded systems. Sonata v1.0 leverages this architecture to isolate components like network stacks and kernels within the CHERIoT RTOS. The lowRISC Sonata v1.0 specifications: FPGA – AMD Xilinx Artix-7 (XC7A35T-1CSG324C) CPU – AMD MicroBlaze soft-core based on […]
Sensy32 Board is an ESP32-S3 sensor platform with up to six sensors for environmental monitoring in IoT applications
The Sensy32 Board is a compact sensor platform powered by Espressif’s flagship ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth microcontroller. The development board brings different monitoring devices together on the same PCB for easier integration into IoT ecosystems. It is a multipurpose device with several sensors bundled to measure and monitor ultraviolet light intensity, altitude, pressure, orientation, humidity, temperature, motion, and human presence. It includes a 9-degree-of-freedom inertial measurement unit (IMU) for 3D space orientation, while the built-in MEMS microphone can be used for audio input in voice detection and noise measurement applications. The onboard ESP32-S3 microcontroller powers the array of features and also offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity. The Sensy32 ESP32-S3 sensor platform also integrates an LCD screen for immediate feedback and real-time monitoring. We have covered other ESP32-based environment sensors such as the Qsen-07 multi-sensor board, AirGradient ONE, MoreSense MS-06, and Studio LUFF’s Air Quality Sensor. Sensy32 specifications: MCU […]
T-Keyboard-S3 Pro 4-Key USB mechanical keyboard adds rotary encoder, support for daisy-chaining up to six keyboards
Last year, we featured the T-Keyboard-S3, a USB mechanical keyboard with ESP32-S3, and four mechanical keys each fitted with a 0.85-inch color display. The upgraded T-Keyboard-S3-Pro adds a rotary encoder and four magnetic interfaces on each side controlked by an STM32G030 MCU to daisy-chain the host keyboard with up to 5 slave keyboards in a 3×2 grid. Previously, we featured the ANAVI Macro Pad 12, Macro Pad 10, and Macro Pad 2 programmable keyboards. Feel free to explore those as well. LILYGO T-Keyboard-S3 Pro specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 used in the host model only MCU – ESP32-S3R8 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning Memory – 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB SPI flash Connectivity – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 with LE/Mesh PCB antenna Secondary MCU – STMicro STM32G030F6P6 for I2C magnetic connectors CPU – Arm 32-bit Cortex-M0+ CPU, frequency up to […]
Iridium Certus 9704 Satellite IoT Developer Kit supports Arduino programming, integrates with Blynk IoT Cloud
Iridium Certus 7904 Satellite IoT Developer Kit is a compact Arduino-programmable devkit with satellite connectivity, a microSD card for data storage, USB and LiPo battery power support, and various expansion options designed for IoT and M2M applications. Featuring a pre-provisioned Iridium Certus 9704 module, the developer kit also supports expansion headers and connectors for Adafruit FeatherWing modules, Arduino Shields, Qwiic/STEMMA QT modules, and Arduino I2C (ESLOV) add-on boards. We have written about several Iridium satellite solutions over many years, but I think it’s the first time we’ve come across an easy-to-use Satellite IoT development kit programmable with the Arduino IDE and with Blynk IoT Cloud integration. Iridium Certus 9704 Satellite IoT Developer Kit specifications: Iridium Certus 9704 Module Max Message Size – 100 KB including images & soundbites through IMT (Iridium Messaging Transport) service Command Interface – JSON-Based Serial Protocol for REST (JSPR) Interfaces – Serial data; SPI; GPIOs; GNSS […]
Pico W5 is a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W alternative with RP2350 MCU, dual-band WiFi 4, 8MB flash
The Pico W5 is a Raspberry Pi RP2350 development board providing an alternative to the official Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W with dual-band (2.4GHz/5GHz) WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity through a B&T BW16 wireless module. Besides dual-band WiFi, there are a few other small changes compared to the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W, including a USB Type-C connector, a larger 8MB flash, and a Reset button. As far as I know, it’s the first RP2350 board with 5GHz WiFi, as other RP2350 boards with WiFi, such as the Challenger+ RP2350 WiFi6/BLE5 and Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W, only support 2.4GHz WiFi. Pico W5 specifications: SoC – Raspberry Pi RP2350 CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 @ 150 MHz with Arm Trustzone, Secure boot and Dual-core RISC-V Hazard3 @ 150 MHz Only two cores can be used at any given time Memory – 520 KB on-chip SRAM Security 8KB of anti-fuse OTP […]
STM32-powered MM6108-EKH05 Wi-Fi HaLow evaluation kit supports Bluetooth, Camera, and Qwicc/MikroBus modules
Morse Micro has recently launched the MM6108-EKH05 Wi-Fi HaLow Evaluation Kit designed to reduce the development and deployment time of IoT products. Built around the Morse Micro MM6108 HaLow SoC, this kit combines long-range, low-power wireless connectivity with a range of integrated sensors, making it ideal for IoT engineers and developers. Key features include Wi-Fi HaLow connectivity, an STM32U585 Cortex-M33 MCU, integrated sensors (temperature, humidity, accelerometer), 16 MB of SPI Flash memory, programmable GPIOs, power measurement tools, and WPA3 security for reliable and secure communication. The kit also includes alternative power options including USB, battery, or external power, and embeds support for a camera, MikroBus and Qwicc expansion modules, Bluetooth, and current measurement circuitry. All these features make this kit useful for applications including smart homes, industrial automation, and agricultural monitoring. MM6108-EKH05 specifications: MCU – STM32U585 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ 160 MHz with TrustZone, 2 MB Flash Storage – 16Mbit […]
Waveshare Double Eye LCD module is a high-tech alternative to googly eyes
Waveshare has recently launched the Double Eye LCD module (also known as the 0.71inch DualEye LCD module), a high-tech alternative to googly eyes, with two 0.71-inch round IPS displays with 160×160 pixels of resolution and 65K color depth. It uses the GC9D01 driver and communicates via an SPI interface. The module operates at a 3.3V or 5V and is designed so that both ESP32 and Arduino boards can drive it. These features make this device useful for applications like wearables, robotics, IoT devices, etc… Waveshare Double Eye LCD module specifications: Display Type – Dual 0.71-inch round LCD displays Resolution – 160×160 pixels Panel – IPS (wide viewing angle) Colors – 65K colors Pixel Pitch – 37.5 × 112.5 µm Controller and Driver Driver – GC9D01 Interface – SPI Operating Voltage – 3.3V / 5V Dimensions Display – 18 mm ∅ per round LCD Module – 51 x 20 mm The […]
Arduino Core for Zephyr beta released – Let’s give it a try!
Last July, Arduino announced plans to switch from the soon-to-be deprecated Arm Mbed to Zephyr RTOS, and the company has now outed the first beta release of “Arduino Core for Zephyr OS” for a range of boards. From the user’s perspective, this should not change anything. However, there are massive changes under the hood and Arduino sketches are built and executed differently with the Arduino Core for Zephyr. Some highlights of the new Zephyr-based Arduino core implementation include: Dynamic sketch loading – Sketches are compiled as ELF files and dynamically loaded by a precompiled Zephyr-based firmware. Zephyr subsystems support threading, inter-process communication, and real-time scheduling. Fast compiling and smaller binaries since a thin layer of user code and libraries are compiled, while the rest of the ZephyrOS is already binary. You can get started straightaway with the code and instructions on GitHub. You’ll need Arduino 2.x.x for this to work. […]